At the End of That Memory

Chapter 10

I sat in the greenhouse and read my book until lunchtime. My mind was preoccupied, but the sound of rain hitting the window distracted me from most of my thoughts. According to my experience, the more you didn’t understand a part, the less beneficial it was to dig deeper.

It was only then that the rain began to show signs of stopping little by little. The rain that had been pouring down as if the sky had been slit open was becoming thinner and weaker. The sky covered with dark clouds was also not as dark and gloomy as before.

Was it a little after noon? My phone started ringing loudly. Ring Ring. The vibrations were heavier than when a subordinate had an accident. I was shocked and looked at the screen, which was full of messages covered in all kinds of crying signs.

[Is it true that you resigned from the company?]

[Please come back, Director ㅜㅜㅜ]

[We miss you!!!]

It was a message from employees I had worked with in the past. I saw some familiar names, and I also saw names I had relatively little contact with. The news of my resignation had finally reached them, or that my father had chosen a Director and appointed him in my stead.

Not only did they say they were unhappy, but they also said they would wait for me to come. I was momentarily taken aback by the number of messages I received, which was more than expected, but I burst out laughing when I saw the question, ‘How can you run a company without a Director?’

“Even though you wished me well…”

I knew they wouldn’t be too sad about losing their boss. They might feel relieved now that the person nagging them was gone. Still, the polite things they said weren’t bad, so I responded to each person one by one and got up.

‘I heard you didn’t eat lunch today.’

On the day when I skipped lunch because I had no appetite, Kwon Yido spoke with an uncomfortable look on his face. If you wouldn’t mind, I’ll tell them to serve your lunch in the greenhouse but please don’t skip your meals.

The next day, while I was cooped up in the greenhouse, one of the staff came to me with a sumptuous feast. Two days ago, when I saw them serving the meals, I thought that no matter what happened, I had to return during the day. Only after I promised not to skip meals did he release me from that burdensome situation.

After that, I would leave the greenhouse on time whenever possible. I thought I should keep my promise since there was no benefit to being disliked by Kwon Yido. The rain had weakened at the moment, so I thought I could go on with this much rain.

‘I have someone who can come to pick me up.’’

There was no one at all. If I told Kwon Yido so, he would ask one of the staff to come and pick me up. Kwon Yido, whom I had observed over the past few days, was a person who was willing to show such kindness.

“Well, he won’t come in person, but…”

However, the more one was treated unfairly, the more there was a line that must be maintained. I was a person who knew such limits, and I didn’t think Kwon Yido would show that much sincerity to me. Even if something happened, getting caught in the rain wouldn’t be considered a crisis.

‘Call me.’

“…”

But why do I think Kwon Yido will hate it if I get caught in the rain?

I liked rainy days. The sound of rain, the sight of water droplets, and the overall desaturated scenery were all rare things that could not be bought with money. It wasn’t so bad to occasionally smell the moist earth and feel refreshed.